"No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize" - Julia Child

September 24, 2011

Early Edition: Almond Joy Oatmeal

Now that the weather is cooling off, I'm starting to eat more oatmeal for breakfast. I love oatmeal, but during the summer I usually prefer cereal with cold milk to beat the heat. I'm excited to be breaking out the Quaker again, though, and I've been finding a lot of oatmeal recipe ideas from some of the blogs I follow.

During the week, I normally have my oatmeal with 1/2 a banana, some peanut butter, chia seeds, and lately, pumpkin puree. But weekends are for being decadent, right? So this weekend I decided to surprise MG with oatmeal based on one of his favorite candies: Almond Joy.

Using some great inspiration from Chocolate Covered Katie (check her out!) on how to turn oatmeal into a delicious morning sweet treat, here's what I came up with:

The night before:
Mix the oats, milk, water, cocoa powder, extracts and banana in a bowl. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When you wake up:
Remove the plastic wrap and microwave the bowls for about 3 - 3.5 minutes (keep an eye on them so the oatmeal doesn't overflow!) Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oatmeal is hot and thickened, add sweetener, if desired. Finally, top with the almonds, coconut, chocolate chips and chia seeds.